Welcome special guest: author Doris O'Connor ( @mamaD8 @evernightpub #FF )

Today we have author Doris O'Connor visiting. Mum of nine and hopelessly romantic day dreamer, Doris likes to spin sensual, sassy, and sexy tales involving alpha heroes to die for, and heroines who give as good as they get. From contemporary to paranormal, BDSM to F/F, and Ménage, haunting love stories are guaranteed.



So, Doris, what inspired you to become a writer?
I've devoured books from the minute I learned to read. I was an only child with an overactive imagination, so books became my friends, and I started to make up my own stories in my head. As a teenager I wrote countless stories, as an adult life got in the way. Then in September 2010 a friend entered the New Voices competition, and I thought to myself why not give it a go? I didn't get anywhere in that competition, but I have been writing ever since.

When did you attempt your first story? What length was it? What's become of it?
~ My first story stemmed from the competition I mentioned above. It was called 'What are the Odds?' and it involved mum of three Sylvia, who's son literally runs an A-list movie star off his feet. Said movie star sees a publicity chance and they embark on a pretend relationship to improve his ailing image. The first version was just over 50 K long, and littered with cliché's lol.
~ I did sub an improved version of that original story, but again did not get anywhere. Not at all surprising when I look back at it now. I did get lots of encouraging feedback. So, taking all of that into account, I completely rewrote the story from scratch and turned it into an Erotic Romance. Re-named Scandinavian Scandal and with little resemblance to the original version bar the H/H, my sexy Swede Sven was my first contract back in August 2011, swiftly followed by Awakening and Lure Of The Blood, which turned out to be my Debut Novel in the end, releasing mere days before Scandinavian Scandal in November 2011.

How many stories did you complete before you sold your first?
Five, and yes they are all published now :)

What genre(s) do you write in? What drew you to write in it/them? What’s your favorite genre of all to write in?
I write contemporary and paranormal Erotica and Erotic Romance, BDSM, Ménage, and F/F. A bit of a mixed bag, really. Not a conscious decision on my part. I simply write what my characters tell me and what fits the story. If I had to pick a favorite genre it would be Paranormal BDSM and Ménage. So much fun to write!

What are the best and worst pieces of writing advice you ever received?
~ Best: Write every day. Fall in love with your hero. Dig deep with the emotions. Write what comes naturally, not what you think you 'ought' to. It's ok to wing it.
~ Worst: Plot your story in advance (This does not work for me. Not one word gets written, lol.) You need to pick your genre and stick with it. (Why? Again, not the way my muse works.)

How do you celebrate/deal with acceptance/rejection letters?
~ Ah the dreaded rejection letter. I've got a nice little collection of those! I do the very grown-up thing of sulking, stamping my feet, rally at the injustice of it all, eat too much chocolate, have a good cry.
~ Then I give myself a shake; look at any feedback, if I was fortunate enough to get any. Put manuscript to one side to let it simmer. Start another story and eventually go back to the manuscript, fix what needs fixing and re-submit. I have yet to give up on a story. You can always make it better!
~ Acceptance: I squuee. I run around the house like a demented loon. I tell everyone! I eat chocolate! I start the next story :)

In regard to the book you’re promoting, which actor and actress do you envision playing the roles of your hero and heroine? If there’s a villain or other characters who are pertinent to the story, who would play those parts?
~ Ooohh, now well. Ink would be Vin Diesel, because he was my visual Inspiration for him.
~ Rose McGowan for Cherie.
~ Noah Stewart for Grisha. I know he's not an actor, but that smile of his, that's Grisha through and through.

The book you’re promoting, is it a stand-alone story or part of a series? If it’s part of a series, please list the order the books need to be read in for maximum reading enjoyment.
~ Tiger Scars is book 2 in my Club Ink series. Riding her Tiger is book 1. They stand on their own, but they are best read in sequence :)
~ I actually never intended to write this series. The original idea for Riding her Tiger was sparked by an Anthology call called Keyboards and Kink. It was supposed to be a simple, contemporary D/S story, and then out of the blue my hero announced that he was in fact a tiger shifter. My heroine goes to the bar in Club Ink and orders a Black Russian (the drink) and up pops a Siberian Tiger, called Grisha, and the series was born. Grisha was one of those characters that muscled in and changed everything. Such are the joys of a panster.
~ He has been growling at me to write his story in book three and already another character has popped up for a possible book four!

*** Now for some fun info… ***
What’s your favorite ice cream flavor?
Vanilla, which gives me the giggles, 'cause I write BDSM ;-)

Are you a cat, dog or both kind of person?
Definitely both. We have two cats and two dogs :)

Are you a morning person or night owl?
Anyone who knows me is fully aware of the fact that you take your life in your hands, if you approach me first thing in the morning, unless you're bearing coffee. In my ideal world I stay up most of the night and you won't see me until midday the next day. Not entirely compatible with young children and family life however, hence coffee is the elixir of life, as far as I'm concerned. 'Cause I never manage to go to bed before midnight at the earliest, and during school days I need to be up at 6.30 am.

*** About the book… ***
~ Blurb ~
~ Can some scars ever truly heal?
~ Cherie ran away from Ink once. She is not going to get the chance to do so again, but helping her heal will take all of his skills as a Dom. Using Shibari, Knife play, and Ménage sex, he shows her that pleasure can be found in the things that haunt her.
~ Emotionally and physically scarred Cherie has sought refuge at Club Ink, where she keeps everyone at arm's length. When Ink forces her to face up to her demons, does her submission hold the key to her future happiness? Or will their shared past destroy them once and for all?
~ Buy Links ~
Evernight Publishing
Amazon
Bookstrand
ARe
Tiger Scars pushed my writing boundaries rather a lot and I found parts of it very difficult to write. Research wise, I lost happy hours looking up Shibari, Fire, and Knife play, and generally speaking delving deeper into D/S relationship dynamics. It's been a steep learning curve and I'm sure my Google history must look very interesting, lol.
~ Excerpt ~
~ Cherie couldn't have heard him right? Her heart beat frantically. There was a rushing in her ears, and the deep yearning of want pumped through her veins, as the never far away dark memories threatened to engulf her anew. He stood watching her, arms now crossed over his chest, every molecule in his being solely focused on her. The noises of the club faded away, their awareness of each other cocooning them in their own little bubble of reality. What did he mean, would she let him try? Try what?
~ She didn't realize she had said that out loud, until Ink sighed. He was close enough for the action to raise the fine hair curling over her damp neck, and she held her breath when he tucked at the few strands and lifted them away. With the same care he'd traced the tats on her arms, he traced the faint mark of his possession on her neck, and her tiger purred in recognition of its mate. His tiger's answering growl of possession trembled through her. Cherie braced herself for the inevitable flood of adrenaline, as he stepped closer still, caging her in against the side of the bar, so close to her that she felt his chest rise and fall with his measured intake of breath, a direct contrast to her own shallow breaths that were starting to make her feel light headed. He dipped his head and inhaled, the slight stubble on his face scraping against the delicate skin on her neck and creating delicious friction. He dropped a feather light kiss on her pulse point, licked along the side of her jaw and then traced the contours of her lips with his rough tongue. Her eyes fluttered shut at his encouraging murmur, and she opened instinctively at his whispered command of, "Open for me, baby girl. Let me in."
~ His tongue swept past the barrier of her lips, but instead of the forceful invasion she was expecting, the tender exploration stunned her. His hold on her hair loosened, and he trailed his hands down her sides until he cupped the globes of her ass, lifting her higher into him until her feet dangled off the floor. She whimpered her need into the kiss, and he took it deeper, his tiger's growl rolling through her when she kissed him back, hesitant at first, and when the dreaded waves of panic didn't materialize, with increasing urgency. Her own hands snug up his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin, and he ground his hips into her pussy, as she locked her legs around his waist.
~ "As marvelous as this display is, you're needed on stage, Ink."
~ Grisha's amused drawl broke through their sensual haze, and Cherie froze. Ink released her mouth with one small nip to her bottom lip and perched her on the side of the bar.
~ "Didn't think vanilla was your style, boss." Cherie held her breath at the murderous expression darkening Ink's features, all too aware that her fingers were still curled into the straps of Ink's vest, her ankles locked behind his tightly clenched butt. She hastily dropped her legs, but before she could uncurl her fingers, Ink grabbed hold of her wrists.
~ "Shut the fuck up, Grisha, and mind your own business. I'll be there in a minute."
~ "A minute will be a minute too late."
~ Cherie jumped at Ink's threatening growl in response. Clearly Grisha had a death wish today. She winced as Ink's claws ran out, scraping along her wrists, his tiger's eyes briefly connecting with hers, before he roared at Grisha, baring his beast's full set of lethal looking teeth. Grisha threw his hands up and took a step back, his own tiger bowing down to the superior male, even though had he shifted completely, every one of his hackles would have been raised.
~ Ink's tender kiss to the inside of Cherie's wrists focused her attention back on him. As rapidly as he'd changed he was back to his human self, his amber eyes warm and comforting, as he cupped her chin.
~ "The fleabag is right on one count. I need to be up on that stage. Now, I know this will be hard on you, but I want you to watch the show. Can you do that for me, baby girl?"
~ "I … I…" Cherie swallowed past the rising surge of panic. Ink smiled at her, his thumb swiping across her bottom lip, the pressure on her chin just enough to keep her focused on him. The just reawakening submissive part of her wanted to please him, wanted to agree, even enjoy the spectacle of the show, but ropes and cages would never again be a source of pleasure for her. She had almost hyperventilated earlier, just walking past the display cages being set up on stage. Cages meant pain and humiliation and loss too intense to allow herself to dwell on it.
~ "I won't make you. This is your choice. Everything is your choice, baby girl. You know that, right?"

***Find Doris here...***
Website
Blog
Twitter
Facebook
I also recently joined Pinterest, which is proving far too addictive. My inspiration board for Tiger Scars is here: Pinterest

Thank you for joining us here today, Doris! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your work.

Doris says, "I would love to do a Giveaway. Simply leave a comment (& your email) to win a PDF copy of Tiger Scars. Winner will be announced on Monday 16th.